10 March 2010

The bicycling-related Internet-o-spere's all a-Twitter about the new bicycle routes feature on Google Maps that made its debut today. Granted, it's a long-overdue addition to this already incredibly useful resource. I'd heard the feature was coming some time ago. But I'd kinda forgotten about it until I caught wind of it earlier today.

After work this afternoon, being somewhat less than totally stoked to head out right-away into the second straight day of near-blizzard-like conditions, I spent a little time running this new feature through its paces.

The good news is, in general, it seems to work. It pretty much nailed what I'd call the safest route (though perhaps not quite the fastest) for my daily bike commute to and from work.

But what really surprised me was when I requested a route from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Scottsdale, Arizona, the town where I grew up.

See, I actually tried to ride to Scottsdale once, back when I was really into long, lonely, road rides. I got as far as Prescott the first day (a good century), going by highway through Williams, Ashfork, and Chino Valley into 25 MPH headwinds before bagging the whole affair, telling myself I'd return to finish it another day.

Well, it's been several years, and I've yet to complete the journey. But I'd still like to. Someday. And today, I decided to ask the Google Maps Genie what route it would take.

I was, in a word, shocked by the results this seemingly simple query returned! I figured it would route me down I-17 or I-40, maybe down Highway 89a through Sedona, or across Lake Mary Road and then through Payson and down the Beeline... something sensible... on paved roads, ya know. Instead, I got this monster-epic! And, honestly, it really looks like fun. It's a magnificent route!
And completely unexpected.
And totally impassable part of the year (like now).
And, to say the least, it's quite difficult to imagine it being done as a double-century by most normal human beings in the estimated time of 18 hours (and 27 minutes)!

But it just might make for a great multi-day endeavor one of these years. Never know...